By Eric Stock
NORMAL – Illinois State’s overtime win at Ole Miss on Saturday was the Redbirds’ second against an SEC school this season.
That’s one sign of how rugged the Redbirds’ early season schedule has been.
Illinois State men’s basketball coach Dan Muller said those tough opponents will make the Redbirds better in the long run.
“Without this schedule, I don’t think we would have grown as much as we have grown,” Muller said. “It doesn’t guarantee wins in the future but we are a completely different team we were four weeks ago – and it’s not because we won (the Ole Miss) game.”
Muller added that win, coupled with the return of several key players in coming weeks gives him a good feeling about his team.
“We are getting healthier which is nice, but that win combined with consistent practices afterward can make it a huge win for us,” Muller said.
Junior forward Phil Fayne said the Redbirds have made a concentrated effort to rebound better in recent games.
“Just knowing that we have to crash when people are supposed to crash, crash the boards, that has helped us big time,” Fayne said. “Rebounding overall has been a big emphasis,”
ISU outrebounded Ole Miss after being consistently dominated on the boards through the first 10 games.
First-year starter Keyshawn Evans leads the Redbirds in scoring at 19 points per game. Muller said he didn’t Evans offensive output has exceeded his expectations.
“He is always going to be an efficient player,” Muller said. “I wasn’t sure if he would have the confidence and the guts to take the number of shots he’s taken.”
Evans said he didn’t expect to be a primary scoring threat this season.
“I honestly, whole heartedly did not believe I was going to come out and put up the numbers I’ve put up,” Evans said. “It’s given me confidence.”
Yarbrough sweeps MVC weekly awards
After a near-triple-double effort in Illinois State’s win at Ole Miss on Saturday, ISU junior Milik Yarbrough has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player and Newcomer of the Week.
The sweep of the two awards is the 15th time in the Missouri Valley Conference since 2003-04 – the year the conference started awarding Newcomer of the Week honors – that a player has taken home both awards in the same week. Included in that list is former Redbird Lorenzo Gordon, who won both honors on January 3, 2005.
Yarbrough nearly had a triple-double in the team’s only game during the week, a 101-97 overtime win over Ole Miss. Yarbrough scored 25 points with a season-high 10 rebounds, and eight assists in just 27 minutes of action. He made 8-of-17 shots from the field, and all nine of his free throw tries. His 15 second-half points helped the Redbirds, as he also pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists in the second 20 minutes. He was at his best against SEC opponents this season, averaging 21.5 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists against Ole Miss and South Carolina, while also making 23-of-26 from the line in the pair of games.
He is the first player in the league this season to sweep the awards, and joins teammate Keyshawn Evans as Redbirds who have been named Player of the Week this season.
Martin suspended
Muller said graduate transfer Jerron Martin has been suspended from the team indefinitely for violation of team rules. Martin averaged two points in ISU’s first 10 games.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
